Reduction in phase-locking of corrugated chips and product thereof

Abstract

A method of reducing phase-locking of fried snack food chips having corrugations on both surfaces includes forming at least some of the corrugations non-complementary so that corrugations of adjacent slices will not mate and surface tension of a washing or frying liquid will not cause an undersirable amount of phase-locking. A chip having a configuration with three spaced widened ridge corrugations is disclosed as is a blade shaped to provide such chip.

I claim: 
     
       1. A method of reducing phase-locking of fried snack food chips made from vegetable slices having parallel rows of corresponding and complementary ridge and valley configurations on both face surfaces thereof, such slices normally having an undesirable propensity to phase-lock together by surface tension during washing or frying in liquid so that they are not satisfactorily fried, the method comprising: forming in some of the corrugations on each side of the slice in a configuration which is non-complementary to the remaining configurations on each side of said slice so that the ridges and valleys on one slice will not mate with the ridges and valleys of another slice formed in the same manner, washing the so-formed slices, and frying the washed slices to produce chips. 
     
     
       2. A method as in claim 1 wherein there are at least three non-complementary corrugations on each side of each slice. 
     
     
       3. A method as in claim 2 wherein the forming is accomplished by cutting with a blade. 
     
     
       4. A method as in claim 3 wherein the cutting utilizes a centrifugal cutter with corrugated blades configured to provide an aperiodic ridge configuration. 
     
     
       5. A method as in claim 3 wherein the washing step is performed in hot oil. 
     
     
       6. A fried snack food chip product with a corrugated surface made in accordance with the method of claim 1. 
     
     
       7. In a fried vegetable snack food chip product with corrugated opposing surface faces, each corrugation having parallel and complementary ridges and valleys therein the improvement comprising: some of the corrugations on each surface of said chip having a configuration which is non-complementary to the remaining corrugations on each surface of said chip. 
     
     
       8. A fried snack food chip product as in claim 7 wherein there are at least three non-complementary corrugations per chip face. 
     
     
       9. A fried snack food chip product as in claim 7 wherein the non-complementary configurations have ridges which are shaped with a blunt widened top surface.